Recently, High-Definition (HD) broadcasting and Extended Definition (ED) broadcasting—both having 16:9 aspect ratio—have been practiced, and digital broadcasting method has progressed in television broadcasting. These situations increase a number of programs having 16:9 aspect ratio in conventional programs having 4:3 aspect ratio. The aspect ratio is a ratio of horizontal length vs. vertical length of a display area displayed on a screen of the display device.
A content recorded by HD method in the format of 16:9 aspect ratio may be broadcasted in the 4:3 aspect ratio format, or often used as a recorded video source.
Responsive to this market trend, a wide-display-device, having a screen of 16:9 aspect ratio, prevails in the market for receiving these new types of broadcasting.
This wide-display-device has various displaying functions as follows:                1. Displaying a program in the 16:9 aspect ratio format, included in a video source in the 4:3 aspect ratio format, on the entire screen of the wide-display-device;        2. Displaying a video source in the 4:3 aspect ratio format, and a vertical length of the video source being displayed in full vertical length of the screen with keeping this ratio. (so called a normal mode, or referred to as a side panel display, i.e., black vertical belts exist on both sides of effective display area.)        3. Converting a video in the 4:3 aspect ratio format to a video in the 16:9 aspect ratio format and displaying the converted video on the entire screen.        
Under this circumstance, a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, such as a video tape recorder (VTR), outputs a signal which instructs to display an on-screen-display (OSD). A conventional magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus in this circumstance is described hereinafter.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a structure of an OSD of the conventional apparatus. FIG. 4 illustrates OSD displayed by the conventional magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus.
In FIG. 3, when OSD operating section 31 is operated, an OSD signal is output on a display device such as a television receiver (TV), and the OSD is displayed on the screen of the display device. Various modes and conditions of the magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus are displayed by using this OSD. OSD operating section 31 is provided in a body of a VTR or a remote controlling unit.
OSD controller 32 generates OSD data, such as a binary video signal, for displaying an OSD through the operation of OSD operating section 31.
OSD signal outputting section 33 inserts the data signal generated by OSD controller 32 into an output video signal. Thus the OSD data is displayed on the screen of the display device such as a TV.
An operation of the conventional magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus as structured above is described hereinafter taking an example of a VTR.
First, an operator transmits his/her operating command to OSD controller 32 by operating OSD operating section 31, disposed to, e.g., a remote controlling unit, in order to confirm the status of the VTR or other conditions. OSD controller 32 generates OSD data responsive to the operation on section 31, and outputs the data to OSD signal outputting section 33. Thus OSD signal outputting section 33 allows the OSD data to be included in an output signal from the VTR. This signal is supplied to the display device such as a TV. The OSD data is finally displayed on the screen of the display device.
Next, the performance of OSD function in the VTR is described, together with a relation to the display devices including a wide display, with reference to FIG. 4.
FIG. 4 shows a wide display, i.e., screen 40 having an aspect ration of 16:9, on which OSD data 42 of the conventional VTR discussed above is displayed.
FIG. 4A illustrates a status where a video source is displayed on video display area 41 having a 4:3 aspect ratio. FIG. 4B illustrates a status where the same video source is displayed on entire video display area 43 having a 16:9 aspect ratio, i.e. a wide display.
On the upper and lower edges of screen 40, OSD data 42 is displayed. The OSD data indicates information of various conditions of the VTR and time information.
FIG. 4B shows that OSD data 42 goes over screen 40, and stick-out portion of the data over screen 40, which should not appear on screen 40, is displayed for the explanation purpose.
In this display, at first, OSD data 42 displayed on a TV screen by OSD signal outputting section 33 is fixed at its location. Next, for instance, when the wide display shows a video of 4:3 aspect ratio as shown in FIG. 4A, the OSD is displayed, and then the display is switched to 16:9 aspect ratio format as shown in FIG. 4B (function 3 of the wide display). This condition is considered hereinafter.
At this time, in order to display the video on the entire screen, the video may be expanded in a vertical direction when the video is converted into 16:9 format.
In such a situation, video display area 41 is expanded and OSD display data 42 is shifted in the vertical direction at the same time. Therefore, parts of or whole of OSD display data 42 may go over the screen and is not displayed.
Further, when a video of 4:3 aspect ratio is displayed, OSD is practiced, then the function 1 of the wide display is carried out. At this time, parts of or whole of OSD display data 42 may not be displayed on the screen.
As such, since the wide display have functions to display a video of different aspect ratios in a various formats, it is difficult to specify a displaying location of OSD data generated by a video signal source of a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus.